Tiburon Bayfront Home A Homage To Japanese Architecture

February 18, 2017

Architecture, fine art and culture converge atop solid bedrock in Paradise Cay. Set at the northeastern edge of Tiburon’s peninsula overlooking San Francisco Bay, a striking display of Japanese architecture overlooks boat slips and the sea.Alfred Klyce, a fourth generation Mill Valley architect who trained in Japan, designed 225 Martinique Ave., a four-bedroom revolving around an open-air courtyard.

The homage to Japanese architecture takes no shortcuts. A raised entryway past the pocket doors serves as the official entrance to the house, with a tiled section beside the sliding panels is for depositing shoes before coming inside.While crafting the dry garden, landscape designer Eiji Nakamura imported boulders from Montana. These stones were specifically selected because they closely match what exists on the island nation. A pair of Japanese maples and a couple of Japanese cherry trees also sprout from the speciality landscape.One of the home’s most distinctive features greets guests at the curb. Here a Machiya (row house) style wall frames a pedestrian gate made from Alaskan yellow cedar. Japanese temple builder Hiroshi Sakaguchi of Ki Arts in Occidental designed the gate, employing traditional no-nail construction with exacting precision.

Sakaguchi’s craftsmanship extends into the front yard, where sliding pocket doors fashion a traditional front door.This segues into a modernized Tokonoma. Traditionally an alcove with a raised floor, here the design opts for a level surface. Effectively a foyer, the Tokonoma traditionally displays a bonsai plant or hanging scroll that changes with the seasons.Other elements of Asian architecture — specifically, the Chinese philosophy of feng shui — embed themselves into the home. Perhaps the most noticeable use of feng shui exists in the hallways leading to the center of the home.The tall, narrow hallway makes two turns before arriving in the public area. The corners stem from a belief that evil spirits cannot make turns, so these turns protect the house from evil spirits.Harmonious design culminates around the open-air atrium. Here, the kitchen, family, dining and media rooms all access the courtyard through sliding glass panels. A northern orientation frames views down the boating slips, beyond the home’s waterfront expansive deck.

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